Physical activity and body mass index among women who have experienced infertility

Abstract

IntroductionThe experience of infertility is a common medical condition in the developing countries. The aim of this retrospective epidemiologic study was to determine fertility status and parity in Babol, Iran and then identify physical activity and body mass index (BMI) among women who have experienced infertility.Material and methodsA total of 1,081 women aged 20-45 years were selected using cluster sampling. The current physical activity was measured using the original International Physical Activity Questionnaire short form. Lifestyle factors were compared between those who had experienced infertility (n = 168) and the rest of the women. A face-to-face household interview was conducted using a specially designed interview questionnaire.ResultsAfter adjusting for suspected confounding factors, women with infertility experience had a 4.8-fold increased risk of obesity (OR = 2.02, CI = 0.70, 5.84) and almost a 3.8-fold increased risk of being overweight (OR = 2.11, CI = 0.72, 6.17) compared to women without infertility. No significant differences were found in Met-minutes of sedentary activity, intensity of walking, moderate, vigorous, and total physical activity, self-reported dietary intake, exercise, and level of physical activity between women with and without experience of infertility.ConclusionsSince both obesity and infertility are increasing public health issues in Iranian women, more attention should be paid to lifestyle behaviors, especially gaining weight in women who have experienced infertility.

Sedentary behavior, physical inactivity and body composition in relation to idiopathic infertility among men and women

“…In line with other studies, we did not confirm a significant association between physical inactivity and fertility in women [17,26]. However, it appears that the relationship between PA and fertility may differ according to BMI [17].…”

“…Among women, sedentary behavior was associated with infertility, while other studies were unable to confirm a significant relationship between this behavior and fertility as well as probability of live birth [17,26]. Sedentary behavior has been positively associated with the secretion of leptin [60], which can decrease fertility [56] and pregnancy rates with in vitro fertilization (IVF) through the downregulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian (HPO) axis [61].…”

“…Notably, sedentary behavior has not been clearly associated with semen quality [10,17,18,24,25], though reduced sperm concentration has been linked to increased television watching [9]. In women, sedentary behavior has not been associated with lower fertility in recent studies [17,26].…”

Superfertility is more prevalent in obese women with recurrent early pregnancy miscarriage

“…There is a dearth of good quality evidence outlining the effects of high body mass index (BMI) on reproductive health. The available evidence suggests that more obese women experience a wide spectrum of reproductive complications, such as infertility, miscarriage and RMC …”

Effect of diet and physical activity on female fertility

“…Wśród kobiet, u których obserwowano niedowagę, stwierdzono dłuższy okres czasu podjętych starań o zajście w ciążę w porównaniu z kobietami o prawidłowej masie ciała [7,8]. Nadmierna masa ciała zwiększa ryzyko zaburzeń owulacji i płodności [6,7,10]. Wyższe wartości wskaźnika BMI u kobiet wpływają negatywnie na wyniki leczenia metodą indukcji jajeczkowania oraz na rezultaty leczenia in vitro [7,11].…”